Employee engagement

After a year at the Fool, Rana Pritanjali – a recent graduate of our Analyst Development Program – reflects on her experience. Her takeaways speak not only to Foolish investing principles, but also our workplace culture. Keeping an open mind is perhaps the best way to adapt to a new role – and learn how to be Foolish.

“How I Became Foolish in One Year”
Rana Pritanjali

One year ago …

It’s my first day in the Fool’s Analyst Development Program, and I’m taking in my HQ surroundings. I notice placards hanging from the ceiling — big signs with the names and logos of the Fool’s best-performing recommendations. I am surprised by the companies; hardly any of them seem like the right picks from a conventional point of view. To top it off, Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) is among The Motley Fool’s highest-conviction stocks. As a value-focused investor, it’s a surprising day. I head home and tell my husband: “I simply don’t get it. Seriously, Facebook?”

One month ago …

I find myself explaining to my husband how advertisers can use Facebook’s platform to connect with their audience. How the anticipated double-digit growth in advertising revenue comes from changing consumer trends and Facebook’s seamless transition to mobile advertising. How the huge opportunity to connect with the world gives Facebook the potential to emerge as a big winner.

In the past year, my career followed a great but steep learning curve. I might be a bit biased, but I think the Fool’s Analyst Development Program is most beneficial to investors who come in with a serious value bent. It challenges your thinking by showing you a completely different way of investing — one that’s even backed up with an amazing track record.

I still support my investment theses with valuation, but I’ve learned to apply other qualitative frameworks, too. Here are lessons that have improved my analysis and made me a better investor:

Management matters: Like many investors, I used to think that the quality of a company’s management team is baked into the stock price, so I never cared much about the leaders running the ship. But I was completely wrong.

At the Fool, leadership plays a key role in evaluating a company. After going through many case studies in my classes, I realized that having excellent management gives a company (and its shareholders) huge optionality and that the chances of a good business evolving into a great one are way higher when leadership is strong. On the flip side, bad management can screw up a great business. So here are two things I’ve learned to never ignore: Who is running the show, and how is he incentivized?

A good work culture translates into high productivity: Similarly, I never understood the importance of work culture until I started working at Fool HQ. Working with the right set of people in an employee-friendly environment keeps your morale high, accelerates your learning curve, encourages you to give your best, and motivates you to get better every day. Because a company is made up of employees, if each employee shares in the positivism, the overall productivity and performance of the business will probably improve.

A flexible mind-set goes a long way: Having a curious and flexible outlook goes a long way. Valuation is still an important part of business analysis for me, but giving equal weight to more qualitative components helps me understand the whole story. What’s more, working on the edge of your circle of competence is good for slowly but steadily widening your circle. You can always decide what works and what doesn’t for you — and at least you’ll be making an educated decision.

Learning how to merge valuation analysis with these more qualitative approaches takes time, but in my opinion, it’s worth it. You get the best of both worlds.

Do you ever wonder how many push-ups you could achieve at any given moment? Get down and give us 20! In all seriousness, take a few minutes to count the number you’re able to reach. Is it 5? 10? 142? Now – if you’re not too tired – think about how many push-ups your entire company could collaboratively log. We actually answered this question for ourselves during June’s Fool-wide Push-Up Wellness Challenge.

This competition definitely showed off more than muscle. At the start of June, Wellness Coordinator Sam Whiteside challenged Fools to sign up for push-up brackets of 500; 1,000; 3,000; 5,000; and 10,000. All Foolish health challenges are optional, with the goal being for each Fool to attain their personal goal in 30 days. Over 80 Fools signed up for June’s contest, pausing daily to push-up during meetings, stand-ups, and (naturally) Sam’s wellness classes.

To help Sam reach her own participation goal for this competition, People Team Fools cooked up a surprise plan. On June 30, we launched Push-Up to Pamper Sam, a one-day challenge that unlocked prizes for Sam at set tiers. The categories kicked off with a tiny solar plant and breakfast delivery, soon escalating to gift cards at Port City Brewery, Sugar House Day Spa & Salon, and Zweet Sport. The amounts gave room for Sam to bring along other Fools, too.

Throughout the day, Fools everywhere pushed – literally and figuratively – to unlock the tough tiers. Progress was monitored with a spreadsheet while Fools sent regular updates on a Slack channel. As the day rolled along, a total of 189 Fools participated – and the challenge didn’t stop once office lights dimmed. Fools were active online even after midnight, all encouraging one another to do more for the team.

We finished with an impressive count of 31,043 push-ups in one day. Fools surpassed all seven tiers in the 7a-11:59p Push Up to Pamper Sam challenge, contributing to a final count of 170,198 Fool push-ups in June. Do your arms hurt yet?

June 30 didn’t turn out to be a typical Foolish Tuesday. On the final day of our June wellness challenge, Fools all over the world seriously rallied. Such support symbolized how well Fools can come together to make major things happen for the love of our company or, in this case, a fellow Fool. We’re adding this record to the books!

Erin Miller, an Executive Coach here at the Fool, was lucky enough to attend this year’s WorkHuman conference in Orlando, FL. And she even started a trending hashtag – #OperationRobLowe. But back to the point – for those unfamiliar, this event’s mission was to educate participants on workplace engagement; creating a culture of happiness; and finding a place for purpose and meaning at work. Speakers included Arianna Huffington, Rob Lowe (yes, that Rob Lowe), Shawn Achor, and Brigid Schulte (a friend of the Fool!).

Our People Team joined Erin once she returned to hear all about her experience. Takeaways from Arianna Huffington of The Huffington Post; Robert Emmons, Professor of Psychology at UC Davis; and best-selling author Adam Grant were particularly intriguing. If you, too, are all about workplace innovation, we hope these reflections will be inspiring.

As if it wasn’t common sense, modern science proves that humans require downtime. History defines success as money and power, yet health and wellness have been missing from the equation. Since there’s little separation between work and life, Arianna stressed that we don’t need to work more – just make work better. No human being should be forced to be “ON” 24/7.

So how does The Huffington Post ensure that employees avoid burnout?

They have 2 nap rooms instead of more coffee machines.

An email policy is enforced. When employees finish work, they’re not expected to be on email – they’ll be texted if it’s urgent.

You could say that Adam Grant’s resume is impressive, to say the least. His book Give and Take earned immediate praise as Wall Street Journal’s Favorite Books of 2013; The Washington Post’s 2013 Books that Every Leader Should Read; and even Oprah’s list of riveting reads.

During the conference, Adam focused on 3 Fundamental Styles of Interaction and how they impact success. These styles play a role in both recruiting and management. Who do you want to hire? What type of boss would you rather work for? There are Takers, Givers, and Matchers, but Adam argued that what we really need is a culture of “help seekers.” We should encourage employees to ask questions because, despite the stigma, being curious is not a burden. In more difficult conversations, Grant recommends focusing on the behavior – not the person.

Robert Emmons, Professor of Psychology at UC Davis and Founding Editor-In-Chief of The Journal of Positive Psychology

Gratitude plays a huge part in our lives. Emmons shared the impact of practicing gratitude in the workplace. A few of Emmons’ points on the importance of gratefulness included:

It increases emotional well-being.

Grateful people achieve more.

Grateful people get along better with others.

Grateful people pay it forward.

Grateful people are less depressed.

The future is co-created. In order for us to grow into innovative workplaces, the suggestions from those who spoke at WorkHuman are important to consider. Will you be a workplace that follows these trends?

A few philosophies in FastCompany’s article “These are the New Rules of Work” sound Foolishly familiar. Over the duration of our company’s history, we’ve evolved into a culture that’s now known for some pretty unique benefits. No vacation policy? Check. No dress code? Yep. Free healthy snacks? We promise! The Motley Fool seems to have embraced this future all along, which shines through these examples:

1. Work can happen wherever you are, anywhere in the world.

Open-office plans don’t jive with every work ethic, so we aim to help Fools work comfortably both in and out of the office. Slack has helped us to systemize accessible Fool-wide communication, plus our tech team has a dedicated channel to offer remote assistance. We also make a point to keep remote Fools informed through a weekly newsletter, monthly live-streamed huddles, and our company intranet.

Whether the blocker is traffic, travel, or family conflicts, incorporating flexible schedules into your company’s benefits can make a rewarding difference. Work location shouldn’t stand in the way of the passion you feel for a project.

2. You’re on call 24/7.

Do you check your email account on the weekend? If the answer is yes, you’re in the company of nearly half of employed adults. What’s more, a full 44% of US-based employees log-in on vacation. Though the typical 9-5 workday is slowly dying, it makes sense in our tech-enhanced world. Fools have the ability to work based on when they’ll produce the best results, and sometimes that’s not at 8AM.

3. You Work Because You’re Passionate about a Movement or a Cause – You Have to Love What You Do.

Fools share a mission “To Help the World Invest – Better.” We’ll be the first to tell you that working toward a shared cause is one key to higher engagement levels, better productivity levels, and boosted creativity among teams. The fact that Fools love our ultimate goal helps each of us strive to reach the next level.

Is your workplace out with the old and in with the new? See the full article here and weigh in on Twitter!

Our monthly Workplace Foolosophy Tour usually spurs at least one question about Fool HQ’s “Reading Room.” This secluded space, complete with a couch and blankets, coincidentally doubles as an ideal napping spot. Foolish visitors are sometimes baffled that Fools can siesta during the workday, no questions asked.

Fool HQ keeps grounded with a strong sense of transparency; the backbone of many of our unique benefits. We don’t question how time is spent in the office because top-performing Fools and their different work ethics are trusted.

Resting on the job is said to boost engagement and increase alertness, ultimately building better collaboration results. There may be more benefits than you think – as long as you don’t hit the snooze button.

Depending on a company’s approach, the definition of corporate wellness can stretch over a pretty broad spectrum. In addition to offering free 1:1 personal training, subsidized in-house massages, and a variety of fitness classes, Head Wellness Fool Sam Whiteside thinks outside of the box. We couldn’t agree more that our “health and fitness perks are off the charts” and feel excited to appear on Mashable’s list of companies with “amazingly unique wellness programs.”

Ranking #4 on a list surrounded by companies like Google, Fitbit, and Zappos, The Motley Fool was recognized for our fun fitness challenges, monthly health newsletter, and frequent involvement in area marathons and races. Sam Whiteside also shared that the Fool’s wellness engagement is nearly 86%.

Here at the Fool, we spend a lot of time reviewing great investments. These discussions are all over the board, from stocks to wellness to investing in employees’ long-term career paths. Our CEO Tom Gardner focused on investing in company culture at a Worcester Economic Club event citing, “If you make culture, leadership, and workplace engagement a key factor in your investment approach, you do better over time.”

Tom supports his point by chatting about our impressive Glassdoor recognitions, the state of employee engagement in America (it’s low, FYI…), and other companies dedicated to this same investing approach. Find out more about Tom’s visit here!

Creating social connections in the workplace isn’t a bad idea, especially now that employees are spending more time at the office. Having a friend at work can boost productivity levels, inspire collaboration, and offer an extra helping hand for coffee runs. When you think about it, company referral programs allow many people to earn jobs as a result of friendships. No matter how someone lands a new position, people appreciate feeling like they’re part of a family – even if it’s at work.

Our annual Fools-only retreat called “Foolapalooza” serves as the perfect opportunity to spark new friendships. The full day of business meetings (that we still keep Foolish, by the way) ended with a celebration at a local restaurant this year. Fools were able to mingle, meet new hires, and celebrate everyone’s accomplishments together.

If you’re looking for new ways to engage your employees, consider planning a social outing. The event can even be at your office – we keep cornhole sets and other games handy during the summer for impromptu gatherings. Giving employees an outlet to socialize after-hours can pull more benefits back into your workplace. Plus, doesn’t it make for a more comfortable professional environment when you know your coworkers’ names?

The Motley Fool’s People Team works hard to keep Fools happy, informed, and productive every day. Comprised of Recruiting Fools, Communication Fools, Learning and Development Fools, Foolish Coaches, Office Operations Fools, and Project Managers like myself, it’s crucial for such a large team like ours to keep on the same page. To fulfill our group’s ultimate purpose, we use a variety of tools to stay on top of this fast-paced Foolish workplace.

Since The Motley Fool is a project-based organization, Fools are encouraged to bring any and all ideas to the table. A favorite tool of many Fools is Trello – a fantastic online organizational system that allows users to create, share, and arrange ideas in a collaborative way.

Trello reached out to chat about how Fools use their product. I shared not only a few of the People Team’s most-used boards, but also a bit about our fun (yet still business-focused) culture. Find the full interview here!

It’s that time of year again – March Madness is back! Although this month signals an exciting time for sports fans, most companies aren’t as enthused. Research shows that March Madness can be distracting to employees, plus decreased productivity is estimated to cost American companies nearly $2 billion dollars in 2015.

Perhaps the real madness lies behind employers banning the tournament from workplaces. That’s right – just hear us out. Our own Sam Cicotello said to The Washington Post, “”If employers lock things down, what that ends up doing is putting the employee in a very bad spot, where they have to lie and can’t do something they enjoy.”

Like The Motley Fool, more organizations are starting to view March Madness in a positive light. If the tournament is embraced, it can be the perfect opportunity to foster collaboration and build employee relationships.

Still not convinced? Sam Cicotello shared a few more Foolish thoughts on March Madness in The Washington Post’s feature – click here to read on!